3 minute read
Hazardous Concepts LLC Celebrates Boost in Business During Pandemic
Words by Laura Kemmerer
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, good news can be hard to find. But a number of small businesses in the world of mobile electronics are transcending survival mode and managing to thrive. One of the shops that has continued to grow is Hazardous Concepts LLC, located in Culloden, West Virginia. According to shop president and installer Scott E. Faller, business is doing so well, he’s booked out through the first week of August.
Hazardous Concepts has been open since 1996, and Faller has been in the industry since 1987. Faller attributes part of his success to being in the area for such a long time, and customers knowing that he is dedicated to the quality of his work. “People know they’re going to get quality work, and it’s going to be consistent,” Faller said. He also highlighted friendliness and repeat customers. “I take care of my people. I treat my customers like they’re familyzOn top of this, though, the two nearest Best Buys—the only locations within a 50-mile radius—have been closed down for some time, and Hazardous Concepts has been catching some of the additional business. A couple of other local shops have also closed down, with one owner reportedly retiring. Right now, Faller’s shop is a one-man operation.
As for customer purchase patterns, Faller noted that things have been all over the map—one sector is not attracting more money over another. But even with this success, Faller has to work another job in order to afford health insurance for being a sole proprietor. As the president of Hazardous Concepts, Faller is also receptive to growth and hiring on additional help, but he’s had a difficult time finding the right fit in terms of employees for his business. Moving forward, Faller hopes to see the same steady growth he’s experiencing now.
“It’s difficult to do a huge spike with my scheduling—like right now I’m scheduled through all the way to the first week of August,” Faller said. “It makes me feel bad to push people off that far, but I’m only one person with only so many hours in a day.”
When asked to estimate a percentage of the increase in business since the beginning of this year, Faller estimated that business had increased 200 percent, if not more, noting that he was scheduling two or three cars a day, and that he’d never had business at this scale previously.
For the sake of public health, so many elements of our dayto-day lives were forced to a functional stop. Business owners used this window in different ways, by planning ahead, restocking, sanitizing and trying to make the best of a bad situation. For Steven Gechunis, the owner of and installer for Dickson City, Pennsylvania-based Enhanced Installations, this meant an opportunity to relaunch his new business. According to Gechunis, he is busier now than he was in March.
Gechunis has been installing in the industry for around 17 years, and he ultimately made the choice to work for himself because he wasn’t happy with the work his previous employers were producing. He opened up Enhanced Installations this past October.
“I entered the scene right at the cusp of remote start season,” Gechunis said. “Then I go to the middle of March, and everything stopped through there.” Enhanced Installations reopened in the beginning of June.
As the shop owner and installer, Gechunis is a self-billed “well-rounded” individual, with the shop catering to a wide swath of business, focusing on mid- to entry-level work. As for the pandemic impacting sales, Gechunis noted that customers come in, point something out and buy it. Currently, he’s doing a lot of head units and audio, with some remote starts scattered throughout. Gechunis is also carrying very little stock at the moment, mainly having customers put down a 50 percent deposit. He’ll order what’s needed and when that comes in, that’s when they’ll set up the appointment.
Gechunis is also taking the customary steps in order to protect his customers’ vehicles by using vehicle protection floor mats, seat covers and other, similar protective measures. On top of this, however, he is also implementing additional checks to make sure none of the aforementioned steps are missed, while also using a spray cleaner on surfaces he touches.
Looking to the future, Gechunis hopes to expand the business, as currently he’s running as a one-man shop. The days are certainly busy right now, but as he said, “It’s a good kind of busy.”
